The Centre on Wednesday sought a report from the West Bengal Government on the recent violence in Malda district which led to communal tension in the area and destruction of public property.
Additional security forces were also deployed in the trouble-torn areas of Sujapur and Kaliachak villages, some 25 km from the district headquarters on Wednesday and the National Investigation
Agency has started probing the role of “anti-national elements and Pakistan’s ISI” into the incident, sources said.
Violence erupted on Sunday when a mob belonging to a particular community went on the rampage, torched police stations, set dozens of vehicles, including a bus and a BSF jeep, on fire and blockaded National Highway 34 to protest against an “objectionable remark” made by one Kamlesh Tewari in UP.
Sources said the crowd did not even spare the Block Development Officer’s office and men in uniform were also beaten up.
“Houses belonging to members of a particular community who are in minority in that area, were burnt down and they were forced to leave the place. They had not returned since,” the sources added.
“What happened on Sunday might have been a pre-planned affair and the attack could have taken place in retaliation to stepped-up security measures along the border,” a top police officer said.
“There is no doubt that it is an act of revenge against the security forces because joint actions by police and BSF have brought down significantly the rate of trans-border crimes like cow-smuggling, cross-border migration, smuggling of goods, fake notes and running of arm factories,” sources said.
Though such anti-national activities take place across Mothbari, Danga, Sujapur-Kaliachak, parts of Gour, Adina and Old Malda, the people of Sujapur and Kaliachak are most affected as most of residents of these areas are involved in such rackets, sources added.